Text of Retirement Speech Naval Station, Norfolk, Virginia 30 August 1968 Today I Complete 35 Years of Active Commissioned Service
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U.S. Atlantic Fleet, Norfolk, Virginia !434 Text of Retirement Speech Naval Station, Norfolk, Virginia 30 August 1968 Today I complete 35 years of active commissioned service. For me they have been satisfying years --- I have had the privilege of command ashore, in the air, and at sea. Perhaps of these, the most rewarding was that of leading a squadron of young, eager, and magnificently capable young pilots in combat. It was my good fortune to participate in what may well be recorded as the most significant military operation in history --- the atomic bomb attack on Japan. At that time we thought, and it may well be borne out, that if we, the world, exercise wisdom, this weapon might well provide the influence that can keep major powers from fighting each other toward total destruction. It was my privilege to command one of the most powerful and important Naval forces in the world --- our Sixth Fleet in the Mediterranean. For after all, and in spite of our trials in Southeast Asia, it is in Europe, the Atlantic, and the Middle East where the major confrontation of power between east and west exists. Then, most importantly of all, my service in the Navy has provided me the privilege of working for, and with, some of the finest people I shall ever know. Today closes this particular chapter of our lives for Nan and me. Tomorrow opens another. We anticipate it with eagerness and enthusiasm for many reasons, not the least of which is, that except for the first step, we have no firm idea at the moment where it will lead us. Now I must express to the staff my appreciation for your help, your response and enthusiasm, and to pay tribute to your outstanding capabilities. You have made my almost a year and a half here one of the highlights of my career. Finally, Admiral Holmes, I cannot conclude without stating particularly to you how much I consider it a privilege to have worked for you, truly one of the great leaders of the United States Navy. U.S. Atlantic Fleet, Norfolk, Virginia !435 These are my orders to inactive duty --- To: Vice Admiral Frederick L. Ashworth, U.S. Navy, Deputy CINCLANTFLT via CINCLANTFLT When relieved on 31 August you are detached from Duty as Deputy CINCLANTFLT and Chief of Staff to CINCLANTFLT; proceed to your home of selection. You will regard yourself relieved of all active duty effective at 2400 on date of detachment. Your request to be transferred to the retired list was approved by the Secretary of the Navy, effective 1 September 1968. On 1 September, you will be transferred to the retired list with grade of Vice Admiral. Signed: Charles K. Duncan, Vice Admiral, U.S. Navy, Chief of Naval Personnel. U.S. Atlantic Fleet, Norfolk, Virginia !436 Admiral Ephrim Holmes, Commander in Chief, U.S. Atlantic Fleet, pins on the Navy Distinguished Service Medal. U.S. Atlantic Fleet, Norfolk, Virginia !437 U.S. Atlantic Fleet, Norfolk, Virginia !438 U.S. Atlantic Fleet, Norfolk, Virginia !439 !440 CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT RETIREMENT September 1968 - present (April 2001) I was retired from the Navy on the first of September, 1968, at the age of 56, having completed more then 35 years of active commissioned service. As I have written, this was a precipitous decision. I didn’t need to retire. I probably could have served until the mandatory retirement age of 62. Who knows what that might have held for me had I elected to do so? Yes, who knows? Remember Secretary Nitze’s “little black book”? It wasn’t a difficult decision to make. Plainly stated, I had three stars and the rank of Vice Admiral. Circumstances were such that apparently the Navy did not see clear to promote me to Admiral with four stars. It had always been my philosophy that if I couldn’t go up, I should go out. We had not made any plans whatsoever as to retirement; where to live, or what to do. At the time it seemed as if that decision was to be made a long time forward. When we had some time off, around Christmas of 1967, we travelled to Vienna for a couple of weeks when we should have been thinking about our final plans for a place to live. But as usual, there was nothing lost by this. It was a fun trip and good to be back in Europe. Although Mom had never been to the Seattle area, she agreed with me that Seattle might be a good place to start looking. And look we did. We ended up buying the first house that we had found, on Mercer Island. It was small, in good shape and seemed to be just what we needed. I don’t recall that there was any shock from the transition from military life to that of a civilian. I joined a local country club, Sahalee, and, more fun, I bought myself a 1969 brand-new red Porsche 912 automobile. Took some golf lessons from Mr. Paul Runyon, the professional at Sahalee but they didn’t take too well, and we found that retirement was indeed fun, just as we had heard. Then the rainy season started. From June to September, Seattle is magnificent. Everything is green, flowers are in bloom, and you can see Mount Rainier almost every day. From then on until the next spring one can count on a little, or a lot, of rain nearly every day. We began to have fond memories of Santa Fe from our previous stay at Los Alamos during the war. Maybe we should go back and see if it was as we had remembered it, warm, dry, sunny, snow in the winter time, all the things that Seattle didn’t seem to have to offer. So we hooked up the Airstream and journeyed to Santa Fe. Santa Fe was about as we remembered. One day, shortly after we arrived, Mom was visiting old friends in town and I went out to “Nine Mile Road” to visit a friend from Navy Department days, Admiral Dick Mandelkorn. Before not much more than an hour later, I had toured with Dick a five-acre plot that seemed to provide an excellent building Retirement !441 After retirement, I attended, in San Diego, a class for training Convoy Commodores. In the event that convoys were ever to be required, we would be we to be required, ever convoys were that In the event a class for training Convoy Commodores. in San Diego, I attended, retirement, After command ofa convoy as “ConvoyCommodores”. assigned to take Retirement !442 After retirement I was asked to do a study of Naval Research and Development Laboratories for the Navy Director of Navy Laboratories. Here I am visiting the Naval Aircraft Modification Station, Johnsville, PA. One of the results of my study was to change this to a weapons research and development laboratory. Retirement !443 Laboratory, White Oak, Maryland. Laboratory, After retirement, this is a photo of the “Surface Warfare Advisory Committee” visit to the Naval Ordnance Naval Ordnance to the Advisory Committee” visit Warfare is a photo of the “Surface this retirement, After Retirement !444 site, met the owner, and made a deposit for the purchase of the land. I picked up Mom downtown and told her that I had just bought a lot in the south of Santa Fe. So, it was back to Seattle to put the house on the market and await a buyer. This didn’t take long. We packed up our things, and what wasn’t shipped professionally we loaded into a U-Haul trailer and headed for Santa Fe. I have forgotten now, but I guess that we had left the trailer in Santa Fe until we could make the move. How the Porsche got to Santa Fe also escapes my memory. It was fortunate that we had the Airstream, because we moved it on the property that we had bought and used it for our living quarters, all the while designing and working with a local contractor in building our new house. It was not an elaborate house, but we designed it to meet our needs, with a two-car garage and even a car port where we could park the trailer and connect it to the septic tank system for post-trip sanitary chores. Perhaps I was a little hasty when I turned down those high- Santa Fe had a local public golf paying consultant jobs! With the Airstream in place at the course, not too far from our new construction site, I am hard at work burying the sewer and home, and I made quite good use of water lines to the trailer which was to be our home for several cold months. it. I stumbled into a foursome consisting of me, Jack Kenney, a retired Army Brigadier General, Dr. Bill Keller, a Ph.D. in cryogenics working at Los Alamos and David McNeil who owned most of the land north of Santa Fe acquired by his wife’s father, Governor Dempsey. Except for the fact that David McNeil didn’t seem to be able to count beyond six and insisted always to drive the cart and frequently left me to walk from green to tee, we had many a good game together. Jack never ceased telling me that he had no respect for the Marines. Once I asked him why. He told me that came from his experience in Korea during that war there. One day he stumbled into a Marine Corps command post and asked them if he could have a Retirement !445 cup of coffee.